(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a management system, and a computer program product.
(2) Description of Related Art
In image processing apparatuses of recent years, operations are controlled by a computer program product (hereinafter “firmware”) that includes a program, control constants, and so on. Conventionally, firmware is stored in a mask ROM in the image processing apparatus. When it becomes necessary to update the firmware for reasons such as an upgraded version having been produced, the mask ROM is replaced with a new one that stores the new firmware.
Consequently, a technician must be dispatched to the image processing apparatus to replace the mask ROM. This means that updating firmware is costly. In order to solve this problem, a technique has been devised for storing firmware in the image processing apparatus in a rewritable storage device such as a flash ROM, and updating the firmware by transmitting new firmware to the image processing apparatus via the Internet, with use of means such as e-mail.
Another issue is that there are cases where operations performed by an image processing apparatus are customized according to where the apparatus is used and the needs of the customer. For example, usually pressing a reset button on an image processing apparatus results in a particular parameter (such as the number of copies to be made) being reset to an initial setting of “1”. However, this initial setting maybe customized so as to be set to “10” when the reset button is pressed.
Usually such initial setting values and the like are stored in a RAM or the like that is separate to the flash ROM in which the firmware is stored. In such a case, one problem that occurs when updating firmware by transmitting new firmware is that with the new firmware the area in the RAM that is referred to may be different to the one that stores the initial setting value, resulting in the customized contents being lost. Consequently, the initial setting must to be set again.
Furthermore, it is desirable to be able to perform some kind of processing before and/or after updating firmware. For example, if there is an error at the image processing apparatus-side before the firmware is updated, it is desirable to perform error processing before updating the firmware.